Or so I thought.  My wife and I lost our chocolate Labrador last spring to cancer and have just now gotten to the point where we’re emotionally ready to replace him.  Given our busy lifestyles, we are looking for a dog to adopt as opposed to getting a puppy and starting his or her training from “scratch.”

My wife and I truly love dogs and eagerly look forward to the next addition to the family.  We agree on how important a dog is to all of us, but disagree on breed selection.  I admit to being quite fond of big dogs, while she really wants a smaller dog this time around.  Armed with this information, my wife has taken on the initiative to find our next furry friend.

Our first stop was an interview with the owner of the dog adoption agency.  While initially surprised at this requirement, I quickly saw the logic in the agency wanting to make sure the adopting “parents” are the right fit for each dog.  After an informal and anecdote-filled half-hour session at our home, my wife and I were approved.  The only odd part was we still hadn’t been introduced to a single dog.

From a selection of more than 20 prospective canine adoptees my wife has selected one she believes will be her next four-legged soul mate.  You guessed correctly – a Dachshund / Schnauzer mix tagged Gepetto.  She is currently lobbying hard for a meet-and-greet.  In my next post I’ll report on the meeting and outcome.